Stepped care to improve PrEP use for pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa
Official title: Stepped care to optimize PrEP effectiveness in pregnant and postpartum women (SCOPE-PP) in South Africa
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11459364 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers a stepped approach to help pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa start and keep using HIV prevention medicine (PrEP).
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2021 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $149,118 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD106862-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11459364 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant or breastfeeding women in South Africa who are HIV-negative and at risk for HIV infection, and who attend participating antenatal/postnatal clinics, are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are already living with HIV, not pregnant or breastfeeding, or not receiving care at participating clinics would not be eligible or likely to benefit from this PrEP-focused program.
What this research studies
You would be offered PrEP as part of routine antenatal and postnatal care and could receive extra supports that increase in intensity if you need them. Supports include counseling, HIV self-test kits for you and your partner(s), and enhanced adherence help for people struggling to stay on PrEP. Participants are placed into groups by chance so the team can compare which package helps more women stay protected through pregnancy and breastfeeding. The researchers will also look at costs and safety to advise national health policy and build on earlier local programs that integrated PrEP into prenatal clinics.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more pregnant and postpartum women avoid HIV infection and cut the number of infant HIV cases by improving PrEP uptake and continuation.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows PrEP is safe and can prevent HIV in pregnancy and breastfeeding and earlier local work found integrated PrEP delivery acceptable, but keeping women on PrEP after delivery has proven difficult.
Where this research is happening
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University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Joseph Davey, Dvora Leah — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Joseph Davey, Dvora Leah
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Healthy Families-PrEP: helping women in Uganda start and stay on PrEP during periconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
A program in Uganda helps periconception, pregnant, and postpartum women use PrEP safely to prevent HIV, with support sessions and monitoring.
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Healthy Families-PrEP: helping pregnant and new mothers in Uganda stay HIV-free
A family-focused program in Uganda tests an approach to help women who are planning pregnancy or are pregnant or postpartum use PrEP to prevent HIV infection.
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Injectable HIV PrEP in maternity clinics to protect pregnant and postpartum women
A doctor-scientist team is testing a twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention medicine for pregnant and postpartum women in high-risk areas to help keep them and their babies HIV-free.
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PrEP in Pregnancy and Postpartum Data Hub
A patient-friendly data-sharing project that brings together information from many pregnancy and postpartum PrEP studies to better understand HIV prevention for mothers and their babies.
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Expanding PrEP access in Kenyan maternal and child health clinics for pregnant and postpartum women
This project will expand access to pre-exposure HIV medicine (PrEP) for pregnant and postpartum women by supporting clinics and healthcare workers in Kenya to offer it through routine maternal and child health services.
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Improving HIV prevention for pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa
This study is looking to improve how well pregnant and new moms at high risk for HIV in South Africa can stick to taking their preventive medication, PrEP, by offering better support and easier access, so they can stay healthy and protect their babies.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.